COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES:

9 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2023

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES:

9.       COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES:

Employment and consulting agreements:

Smith has held the positions of Director, Executive Chairman, President and General Counsel of Company and its subsidiaries under various agreements (and extensions) and terms since March 2003. On October 10, 2016, the Company approved a month to month contract extension with Smith which includes provisions for i) a monthly salary of $18,000 until the Board of Directors re-instates cash payments to all employees and consultants who are deferring compensation, ii) the right to convert up to $300,000 of his deferred compensation, at his sole election, at $0.75 per share, until December 31, 2024, and iii) the right to convert his deferred compensation in whole or in part, at his sole election, at any time in any amount at “market” or into securities sold in the Company’s current/most recent private offering at the price of such offering to third parties. Smith agreed effective July 29, 2018 to continue to serve the Company under the same basic terms on a month-to-month basis. On May 1, 2022 Smith’s compensation was increased to $25,000 per month of which $5,000 per month is deferred. For the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, Smith was paid $40,000 and $18,000, respectively, of cash compensation. For the nine months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, Smith was paid $140,000 and $72,000, respectively, of cash compensation.

Since March 31, 2005, the Company has had various agreements with Bassani (and/or Brightcap which provided his services during some of the initial years), now the Company’s Chief Operating Officer (‘COO’) and formerly the Company’s Chief Executive Officer (‘CEO’), (any reference to Brightcap or Bassani for all purposes are the same individual). The Board appointed Bassani as the Company's CEO effective May 13, 2011. On February 10, 2015, the Company executed an Extension Agreement with Bassani pursuant to which Bassani extended the term of his service to the Company to December 31, 2017, (with the Company having an option to extend the term an additional six months.) Pursuant to the Extension Agreement, Bassani continued to defer his cash compensation ($31,000 per month) until the Board of Directors re-instates cash payments to all employees and consultants who are deferring their compensation. During October 2016 Bassani was granted the right to convert up to $125,000 of his deferred compensation, at his sole election, at $0.75 per share, until March 15, 2018 (which was expanded on April 27, 2017 to the right to convert up to $300,000 of his deferred compensation, at his sole election, at $0.75 per share, until June 30, 2024 (including extensions). During February 2018, the Company agreed to the material terms for a binding two-year extension agreement for Bassani’s services as CEO. Bassani’s salary remained $31,000 per month, which will continue to be accrued in part until there is adequate cash available. Additionally, the Company has agreed to pay him $2,000 per month to be applied to life insurance premiums (which sums have been accrued as liabilities). On August 1, 2018, in the context of extending his agreement to provide services to the Company on a full-time basis through December 31, 2022) plus 2 years after that on a part-time basis, the Company received an interest bearing secured promissory note for $300,000 from Bassani as consideration to purchase warrants to purchase 3,000,000 shares of the Company’s restricted common stock, which warrants are exercisable at $0.60 and have expiry dates of June 30, 2025. The promissory note is secured by a portion of Bassani’s 2020 Convertible Obligations and as of March 31, 2023, the principal and accrued interest was $358,151. For the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, Brightcap was paid $75,000 and $60,000, respectively, of cash compensation. For the nine months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, Brightcap was paid $225,000 and $184,764, respectively, of cash compensation.

William O’Neill (“O’Neill”) was hired as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) effective May 1, 2022.  O’Neill had previously been working with the Company as a consultant and had been employed by the Company as its CEO during 2010-2011. Bassani, CEO of the Company since 2011, has assumed the position of COO while retaining existing operational management responsibilities and working with O’Neill on ‘commercialization’ of the Company’s technology and work related to JVs (and other transactions) based on the Company’s Gen3 Technology and related matters. Bassani’s compensation arrangements with the Company have not been altered in the context of the change of positions. The Company and O’Neill have entered into a thirty-seven (37) month employment agreement (subject to Board renewal for the final two (2) years during the 13^th month ) with compensation of $25,000 cash and $10,000 deferred compensation per month. The cash payment is paid $12,500 to O’Neill and $12,500 to an entity affiliated with O’Neill. An entity affiliated with O’Neill was issued 1,000,000 Incentive Warrants exercisable at $1.00 per share until April 30, 2026 of which up to 700,000 Incentive Warrants may be cancelled if O’Neill is not renewed at 13 months and/or fails to serve the entire contract term thereafter. These warrants each have a 75% exercise bonus if the terms set forth therein are met.  For the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, O’Neill and the entity affiliated with O’Neill was paid $75,500 and nil , respectively, of cash compensation. For the nine months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, O’Neill was paid $150,000 and nil , respectively, of cash compensation.

Execution/exercise bonuses:

As part of agreements the Company entered into with Bassani and Smith effective May 15, 2013, they were each granted the following: a) a 50% execution/exercise bonus which shall be applied upon the effective date of the notice of intent to exercise (for options and warrants) or issuance event, as applicable, of any currently outstanding and/or subsequently acquired options, warrants and/or contingent stock bonuses owned by each (and/or their donees) as follows: i) in the case of exercise by payment of cash, the bonus shall take the form of reduction of the exercise price; ii) in the case of cashless exercise, the bonus shall be applied to reduce the exercise price prior to the cashless exercise calculations; and iii) with regard to contingent stock bonuses, issuance shall be triggered upon the Company’s common stock reaching a closing price equal to 50% of currently specified price; and b) the right to extend the exercise period of all or part of the applicable options and warrants for up to five years (one year at a time) by annual payments of $.05 per option or warrant to the Company on or before a date during the three months prior to expiration of the exercise period at least three business days before the end of the expiration period. Effective January 1, 2016 such annual payments to extend warrant exercise periods have been reduced to $.01 per option or warrant. These exercise bonuses were subsequently increased to 75%.

During the year ended June 30, 2021, the Company added a 75% execution/exercise bonus to the terms of 3,000,000 warrants held by a trust owned by Bassani.

As of March 31, 2023, the execution/exercise bonuses ranging from 50-90% were applicable to 11,114,600 of the Company’s outstanding options and 18,438,339 of the Company’s outstanding warrants.

Effective May 1, 2022, an entity affiliated with O’Neill was issued 1,000,000 Incentive Warrants exercisable at $1.00 per share until April 30, 2026 of which up to 700,000 Incentive Warrants may be cancelled if O’Neill is not renewed at 13 months and/or fails to serve the entire contract term thereafter. These warrants each have a 75% exercise bonus if the terms set forth therein are met.

Purchase Order Agreement and Initial Project:

On January 28, 2022 Bion Environmental Technologies, Inc. (‘Bion’), on behalf of Bion 3G1 LLC (‘3G1’), a wholly-owned subsidiary, entered into a Purchase Order Agreement with Buflovak and Hebeler Process Solutions (collectively ‘Buflovak’) in the amount of $2,665,500 (and made the initial 25% payment ($666,375) for the core of the ‘Bion System’ portion (without the crystallization  modules which will be ordered and fabricated pursuant to subsequent agreements) of the previously announced 3G Tech Initial Project. This Purchase Order encompasses the core of Bion’s 3G Technology. The Company received progress billing in March 2022 and June 2022 for the second and third 25% installments, both of which have been paid as of the filing date. On January 17, 2023 the Company received an invoice from Buflovak for $533,100 which was paid on March 1, 2023 bringing the aggregate payments to $2,532,225 as of the date of this filing. There remains $133,275 open on the Purchase Order of which $86,275 has been billed in April and the remaining $50,000 will be invoiced at the completion of the project.

Buflovak has worked with the Company on design and testing of its 3G Tech over several years. The basic design for the Initial Project’s Bion System is complete, fabrication and delivery of equipment from Bufflovak from the Purchase Order Agreement has been largely completed and assembly/construction is in process.  3G1 is working in concert with Integrated Engineering Services, the primary site engineering firm for the facility, on the integration of all project components/modules at the Initial Project site. Additional agreements have been entered into various professional services providers (engineers, surveyors, utilities, etc.) for work related to the Initial Project. The Company has incurred costs of $5,164,256 on the Initial Project, not including capitalized labor and interest.

Litigation:

A: Website: Domain Sale/Resolved Litigation/Hacking/Theft

 On March 23, 2022 the Company entered into an agreement to sell domain name <biontech.com> and other related assets to BioNTech SE (“BNTX”) for the sum of $950,000 (before expenses related to the transaction) which sale was closed/completed on April 2, 2022 with a one-time gain of $902,490. The Company has been using www.bionenviro.com as its primary website (and domain) since July 2021 due to the events described below. The Company has not been using biontech.com as its primary website since July 2021 so domain name <biontech.com> no longer represented a core asset of the Company.

As previously reported, on Saturday morning, July 17, 2021, our historical website domain – biontech.com – and email services were compromised and disabled. Research indicated that an unknown party had ‘hijacked’ the domain in a theft attempt. On September 10, 2021, the Company filed a federal lawsuit ‘in rem’ to recover the <biontech.com> domain and the unknown ‘John Doe’ who hacked and attempted to steal the website. The litigation was filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Alexandria Division under the heading ‘Bion Environmental Technologies, Inc., Plaintiff, vs John Doe and <biontech.com>, Defendants’ (Case No. 1:21-cv-01034), seeking recovery of the domain name and other relief as set forth therein.

On November 19, 2021, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Alexandria Division issued an order stating that “… ORDERED, ADJUDGED and Decreed that plaintiff Bion Environmental Technologies, Inc. (‘plaintiff) Is the lawful owner of domain name <biontech.com> ….” under the heading ‘Bion Environmental Technologies, Inc., Plaintiff, vs John Doe and <biontech.com>, Defendants’ (Case No. 1:21-cv-01034). The Company has moved the domain name <biontech.com> to a new registrar and reactivated it for the Company’s use (paired currently with its current bionenviro.com website).

No shareholder, sensitive or confidential information was available to be breached which has limited damages from the hack/theft to date. However, the Company’s email operations were subjected to disruption and expenses were incurred related to the matter including legal fees.

The Company created ‘work-arounds’ as a result. These issues have been resolved and the Company has moved our website (and email) to a new domain: bionenviro.com. Website access is now www.bionenviro.com. To send emails to Bion personnel, one uses the same name identifier previously used, but in the address, substitute ‘bionenviro.com’ for “biontech.com’: For example cscott@biontech.com (no longer functional) is cscott@bionenviro.com and mas@biontech.com (no longer functional) is now mas@bionenviro.com.

B: Pennvest Loan and Dissolution of Bion PA1, LLC (“PA1”)

PA1, the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary, was dissolved on December 29, 2021 on which date it owed approximately $10,010,000 under the terms of the Pennvest Loan related to the construction of the Kreider 1 System including accrued interest and late charges totaling $2,255,802 as of that date. Through the date of the dissolution, PA1 was a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company and its assets and liabilities were included on the Company’s condensed consolidated balance sheet. At September 30, 2021, PA1’s total assets were $297 and its total liabilities were $10,154,334 (including the Pennvest Loan in the aggregate amount of $9,939,148, accounts payable of $214,235 and accrued liabilities of $950) which sums were included in the Company’s condensed consolidated balance sheet in its Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2021. Subsequent to the dissolution of PA1, its assets and liabilities are no longer consolidated and included in the Company’s condensed consolidated balance sheet. As of December 29, 2021, PA1’s total assets were nil and its total liabilities were $10,234,501 (including the Pennvest Loan in the aggregate amount of $10,009,802, accounts payable of $212,263 and accrued liabilities of $12,436. The net amount of $10,234,501 was recognized as a gain on the legal dissolution of a subsidiary in other (income) expense.

As background, the terms of the Pennvest Loan provided for funding of up to $7,754,000 which was to be repaid by interest-only payments for three years, followed by an additional ten-year amortization of principal. The Pennvest Loan accrued interest at 2.547% per annum for years 1 through 5 and 3.184% per annum for years 6 through maturity. The Pennvest Loan required minimum annual principal payments of approximately $5,886,000 in fiscal years 2013 through 2021, and $846,000 in fiscal year 2022, $873,000 in fiscal year 2023 and $149,000 in fiscal year 2024. The Pennvest Loan was collateralized by PA1’s Kreider 1 System and by a pledge of all revenues generated from Kreider 1 including, but not limited to, revenues generated from nutrient reduction credit sales and by-product sales. In addition, in consideration for the excess credit risk associated with the project, Pennvest was entitled to participate in the profits from Kreider 1 calculated on a net cash flow basis, as defined. The Company has incurred interest expense related to the Pennvest Loan of $123,444 and $246,887 for the years ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Based on the limited development of the depth and breadth of the Pennsylvania nutrient reduction credit market, PA1 commenced discussions and negotiations with Pennvest related to forbearance and/or re-structuring the obligations under the Pennvest Loan during 2013. In the context of such negotiations, PA1 elected not to make interest payments to Pennvest on the Pennvest Loan since January 2013. Additionally, the PA1 did not make any principal payments, which were to begin in fiscal 2013, and, therefore, the Company classified the Pennvest Loan as a current liability through the dissolution of PA1 on December 29, 2021.

During August 2012, the Company provided Pennvest (and the PADEP) with data demonstrating that the Kreider 1 system met the ‘technology guaranty’ standards which were incorporated in the Pennvest financing documents and, as a result, the Pennvest Loan has been solely an obligation of PA1 since that date. Note, however, the Company’s condensed consolidated balance sheet as of June 30, 2021 reflects the Pennvest Loan as a liability of $9,868,495 despite the fact that the obligation (if any) was solely an obligation of PA1. 

On September 25, 2014, the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (“Pennvest”) exercised its right to declare the PA1’s Pennvest Loan in default, accelerated the Pennvest Loan and demanded that PA1 pay $8,137,117 (principal, interest plus late charges) on or before October 24, 2014. PA1 did not make the payment and did/does not have the resources to make the payments demanded by Pennvest. PA1 commenced discussions and negotiations with Pennvest concerning this matter but Pennvest rejected PA1’s proposal made during the fall of 2014. PA1 made a final proposal to Pennvest during September 2021 which proposal was also rejected by Pennvest. PA1 provided Pennvest with its financial statements (which include a description of system status) annually. During the 2021 fiscal year, Pennvest’s auditors requested a ‘corrective action plan’ and PA1 informed Pennvest that “… there is no viable corrective action plan for the Pennvest Loan (‘Loan’). The facility funded by the Loan has been shut down for many years (which has been disclosed in the annual financial reports to Pennvest and in public filings by the parent of Bion PA 1, LLC) and the technology utilized in the facility is now obsolete. The facility has not been commercially operated for approximately six years and has generated zero income. We recommend that Pennvest take appropriate steps to remove and sell the equipment.” Pennvest responded favorably to the approach of selling the equipment. 

On December 29, 2021, the Company approved and executed a ‘Consent of the Sole Member of Bion PA 1’ (the “Consent to Dissolution”) that authorized the complete liquidation and dissolution of PA1. A Statement of Dissolution was filed by PA1 with the Colorado Secretary of State on December 29, 2021.The liquidation value of Bion PA 1’s property is substantially below the current amount outstanding under the Funding Agreement dated October 27, 2010 by and between PA1 and Pennvest, the only known secured creditor of PA1. Post-dissolution, PA1’s activities will be limited entirely to activities required to properly distribute its net assets to creditors and wind down its business.

PA1 and Pennvest agreed to have the equipment sold by a third party auctioneer who arranged for the sale of its property and delivery of all proceeds (net of commissions and customary costs of sale) to Pennvest. The auction took place during the period of May 13-18, 2022. The Company’s personnel assisted PA1 with this process as needed at no cost to PA1. The net sum of $104,725 was realized from the asset sale, which sum was delivered to Pennvest on June 15, 2022. Pursuant to agreement with Pennvest and Kreider Farms, the remaining unsold assets have been transferred to Kreider Farms in order to complete the winding up of the Kreider 1 project.

Upon the complete distribution of all assets of PA1, whether by transfer or sale and distribution of net proceeds as provided above, PA1 will use commercially reasonable efforts to cause the cessation of all activities. No distributions of PA1’s assets will be made to the Company or its affiliates. The Consent to Dissolution authorized Mark A. Smith, the Company’s President and the sole manager of PA1, to cause to be delivered for filing the Statement of Dissolution, to give notice of the dissolution, and to take any other act necessary to wind up and liquidate the business.

PA1 has made no payments to vendors or other creditors in connection with the dissolution other than the payment to Pennvest set forth above. No distributions or payments of any kind have ever been made to the Company, the sole member of PA1 since inception, and no payment will be made to the Company or any affiliate in connection with the dissolution.

For more information regarding the history and background of the Pennvest Loan and PA1, please review our Form’s 10-K for the years from 2008 through 2021 including the Notes to the Financial Statements included therein.

C: OMRI Litigation

On February 23, 2023 the Company filed ‘Complaint for Declaratory Judgment and Injunctive Relief’ against the Organic Materials Review Institute (“OMRI”) in the Circuit Court for the State of Oregon for the County of Lane to contest OMRI’s negative determination with regard to the Company’s application for listing of its solid ammonium bicarbonate product. The Company alleges that OMRI failed to properly follow its own procedures and reached a result without scientific support. The Company has elected to proceed with “Judicial Dispute Resolution” as set forth in the OMRI Policy Manual and has initiated litigation contesting the determination. The Company has requested declaratory relief from the court. OMRI filed its Answer to the Complaint during the first week of May 2023 and the discovery process has now commenced. See Note 1 “Fertilizer: Organic and ‘Climate Smart’” above.

The Company currently is not involved in any other material litigation or similar events.

Lease:

The Company entered into an agreement on September 23, 2021, to lease approximately four acres of land near Fair Oaks, Indiana, for the development site of its Initial Project.

The requirement for payment of Lease obligations commenced January 1, 2023 and the Company is awaiting a rent invoice. The sum of $18,750 has been accrued as a current liability for the period for the quarter ended March 31, 2023.

The future minimum lease payment under noncancelable operating lease with terms greater than one year as of March 31, 2023:

From April 2023 to December 2023	56,250
From January 2024 to December 2024	75,000
Undiscounted cash flow	131,250
Less imputed interest	(11,299	)
Total	119,951

The weighted average remaining lease term and discounted rate related to the Company’s lease liability as of March 31, 2023 were 1.83 years and 10%, respectively. The Company’s lease discount rate is generally based on the estimates of its incremental borrowing rate as the discount rates implicit in the Company’s lease cannot be readily determined.